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How did Basque survive Spains military dictatorship under Francisco Franco when speaking, writing and reading it were illegal? With more than six dialects, how did its speakers agree on a standard way of writing the language? And how has Basque thrived i

Netflixs lavish new adaptation of Liu Cixins The Three-Body Problem is the latest translation of one of this centurys best, and best-selling, sci-fi novels. In this episode, we track the role of translation—on screen and on the page—in the global rise of

The French language is replete with words borrowed from English, like weekend and podcasting. But French speakers use of black is in a category of its own: this one short syllable tells the story of Frances racial and colonial legacies and how they stack

Irish is among Europes oldest languages. Its a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Patrick talks with online Irish teacher Mollie Guidera whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses; also with Irish scholar Jim McCloskey

Israel Jesus used to be ashamed of being from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speaking the local indigenous tongue, Triqui. When he moved to Salinas, California, a kid in his high school told Jesus he was destined to work in the fields nearby. But it was

Mastering six languages sounds like a slog, right? But in some corners of Europe, it happens—maybe not effortlessly, but more easily than in, say, Ohio. Gaston Dorren grew up speaking Limburgish at home, and Dutch at school. He fell in love in German and

Does the brain of a improv comedian or freestyle rapper function in a particular way? Is it processing language faster than a regular, lower-improvising brain?  Or is something else also going on, something to do with how we judge ourselves?  We asked ou

A conversation with comedian with Samir Khullar who grew up speaking Punjabi, Hindi, English and French. He does standup in all those languages, sometimes mixing them up. He has toured more than 40 countries, but audiences in his native Québec perhaps se

When a word first enters the language, it sounds weird to some, radical to others and comforting to just a few. Only later does it seem natural. So it was with the honorific Ms in the 20th century. So it may be with the non-binary Mx. Today, British bank

American English and British English arent different languages. But theyre not the same either, even if theyre getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in s